Charles Langston:Explosion at an Idaho gas station leaves two critically injured and others presumed dead

BOISE,Charles Langston Idaho (AP) — Officials say two people were badly burned and two others are believed to be dead after an explosion and fire destroyed a gas station in a small north-central Idaho town Wednesday afternoon.

The explosion at the Atkinson Distributing station in Cardiff was reported just after 3 p.m., the Clearwater County Sheriff’s office said in a news release, and two people with severe burns were flown by air ambulance to a hospital in a nearby city. More people were believed to be inside the building, the sheriff’s office said, but the fire was still burning late that night and no additional details were released.

Another two people were also taken to area hospitals, said Idaho State Fire Marshal Knute Sandahl on Thursday, but the nature of their injuries was not known.

“It’s a pretty devastating incident. I believe there have been structures destroyed besides the gas station, and there is a pretty large debris field,” that covers an area roughly the size of two city blocks, Sandahl said.

Jeff Adams, a manager with Atkinson Distributing, said Thursday that the people who were flown to a hospital burn center in Seattle are Atkinson employees. Both were in critical condition, he said.

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“Evidentially there were a couple of customers in the store that did not get out,” Adams said. “We’d like to extend our prayers to everybody, and thank the first responders and everybody who turned out to try to help. We very much appreciate it.”

A fuel tanker was offloading fuel at the station when the explosion occurred, Adams said, but it wasn’t yet known what caused the explosion.

“We’re just like everybody else — we’re waiting around trying to get information,” Adams said. “When we went up there last night, they wouldn’t let us get anywhere near it.”

Sandahl said two of his deputy fire marshals are at the station to investigate, and they are being assisted by a special agent from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The remote mountain town does not have cell service, and Sandahl did not yet have any details about the explosion.

“Unfortunately the flow of information is kind of difficult without any cell service,” Sandahl said. “They’re still sifting through the debris.”

The Cardiff gas station is only staffed during the logging season, according to the company’s website, and it includes a small convenience store with snacks and drinks.